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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24064867">Middle of Nowhere</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandateaches/pseuds/amandateaches'>amandateaches</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:13:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24064867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandateaches/pseuds/amandateaches</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You take a road trip with your best friend to get your mind off a broken relationship. Will a man living in the middle of nowhere help you do just that?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dean Winchester &amp; You, Dean Winchester/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Middle of Nowhere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A while ago, @supernatural-jackles, was holding these weekly writing challenges with prompts to inspire writers. I saved one of these prompts, even after all this time, and it finally inspired me to write this fic. My prompt was “Hold my hand dammit, we gotta make this look convincing!” Also for bingos: Free Space for @spnfluffbingo, Road Trip for @spndeanbingo, and “We’re sooo over.” “Fine by me!” for @spnquotebingo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed like the further you got away from civilization, the clearer your mind got, but, even in the outskirts of the middle of nowhere, your mind never seemed to be able to escape him.</p><p>“What’cha thinking about?”</p><p>You glanced over at your best friend, Becca, who was staring inquisitively at you from across the car’s center console. Shaking your thoughts away, you smiled. “Uh, nothing,” you lied, turning your attention to the long, deserted road in front of you, surrounded on both sides by endless fields of grass. “Just wondering how much longer we have.”</p><p>Becca studied you closely for a second before her eyes widened. “Liar! You’re totally thinking about James.”</p><p>You blushed and shook your head. “I am not,” you objected, but the shake in your voice betrayed you. “Okay, maybe a little.”</p><p>“Y/N,” she sighed, her whole body rising and falling dramatically in a way that was so distinctly Becca, “the whole point of this trip is to get your mind off that…that…that ninny!”</p><p>“Ninny?” you smirked, struggling not to laugh.</p><p>“Yes, ninny,” she repeated resolutely, ignoring your amusement altogether and plunging on. “Besides, we’ve been over this. Dumping you was his loss. You’re wayyyyy too good for him anyway.”</p><p>You groaned. Knowing it was fruitless to argue, you decided to change the subject. “How much longer again, Bec?”</p><p>Becca looked down at the gigantic paper map in her lap and unfolded it one more time. “Well, according to this, we just passed a town called…Lawrence, which means that Topeka should be…uh…” She paused, turning the map upside down and her head to the side. “Soon?”</p><p>You sighed heavily, rolling your eyes heavenward. “Ugh, I knew we should’ve stayed on the interstate. Becca, we’re lost.”</p><p>Becca turned the map over a few more times, her speed becoming more frenzied with each turn. “No we’re not, we’re….” She looked up and let out a sigh. “Yeah, we’re lost.”</p><p>“Great,” you groaned, taking one hand off the wheel to pick up your phone. “And, there’s no signal out here. What are we going to do?”</p><p>“Just keep driving, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “Wait a second…I think there’s a house up there.”</p><p>You looked out the windshield, only just making out the outline of a house in the distance. “So?”</p><p>“Sooo, why don’t we stop and ask for directions?”</p><p>You let out a chuckle. “Are you serious? You just want to stop at some random stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere, walk up, ring the doorbell, and ask for directions? What if they’re dangerous?”</p><p>Becca laughed and shook her head. “Y/N, come on, this isn’t the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It’s fine! Let’s just stop. It’s better than being lost for ten hours, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, I guess,” you acquiesced, begrudgingly slowing the car and pulling off onto the dirt off-shoot that led towards the house. As you got closer and the house grew in size, you noticed two men working on the wraparound porch. “Let’s just hope they’re friendly…” you whispered.</p><p>–</p><p>Dean looked up at the sound of the car driving up, taking in the small white sedan with a frown. “Sammy, look.”</p><p>Sam glanced up at his brother out of habit before following his gaze to the car that had just pulled up. Leaving his sandpaper on the ground, he stood up and brushed his hands on his jeans. “You expecting company?”</p><p>“Nope,” Dean replied quickly, stepping in front of Sam with his legs spread, his shoulders squared, and his hands in fists at his side. “Who d’you think it is?”</p><p>“No idea,” Sam shrugged, stepping forward to join his brother as the car doors flew open. “But, I guess we’re about to find out.”</p><p>The two men watched as a 20-something, attractive brunette woman exited the passenger side. She had a wide smile on her face as she turned to look back into the car, talking to someone as she nodded her head. With a laugh, she spun around and began walking towards the porch steps, but Dean’s attention was drawn away from her to the woman stepping out from the driver’s side door.</p><p>She was absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun that was somehow gorgeous and effortless all at the same time, and her simple white t-shirt and jeans fit her perfectly, showing off the curves she had in all the right places. “Damn…” he whispered under his breath, quickly closing his eyes and resteeling himself to hide the effect she’d had on him before she got close enough to notice.</p><p>Her friend got there first, bounding up the steps, her smile widening as she got a good look at them. “H…hi….” she whispered, stretching out her greeting, her eyes widening with interest at the sight of Sam. “I’m Becca, and this is my friend, Y/N.” She nodded her head back at her friend, who had stopped at the bottom of the steps, crossing her arms over her chest, just like Dean. “We’re on our way to Topeka and we seem to have gotten a little lost. Would you mind telling us the way?”</p><p>“Oh, sure,” Sam said, his smile turning easy and welcoming, drawing Becca in, much to Dean’s dismay. As he talked, Dean chose to ignore him, instead dropping his eyes to look down at the woman’s friend. Y/N. Her name was Y/N, and, judging by the glare on her face, she wasn’t the least bit happy to be here.</p><p>He liked her already.</p><p>“…yeah, so then once you pass the old barn, you’ll hit the interstate. Easy as that.”</p><p>“Great, thanks,” Becca said, lingering to stare at Sam. Dean could even swear he saw her eyelashes actually bat. “We realllly appreciate it,” she muttered, placing her hand on his arm with a wide smile.</p><p>As Dean began to roll his eyes, Y/N sighed loudly, practically huffing her exasperation, making him stop to crack a smile. He really liked this one.</p><p>“Come on, Bec, let’s go,” she pleaded, her eyes meeting Dean’s for the briefest of seconds before she looked away.</p><p>Becca’s face fell in disappointment. “Okay, okay!” she agreed, turning around, yelling back over her shoulder as she did. “Thanks again for your help!”</p><p>Dean watched Y/N retreat for a second before smiling slowly and speaking up. “You won’t be able to go that way.”</p><p>Becca and Y/N stopped in their tracks, spinning at the exact same time. “What?”</p><p>“Yeah, what?” Sam asked, turning towards Dean with confusion in his eyes.</p><p>Dean unfolded his arms and stepped forward, resting his arms on the railing. “I was just out that way this morning. The road washed out in last night’s storm. It’ll be at least a few days before it’s passable again.”</p><p>Y/N stepped forward, her concern at his words overriding her earlier standoffishness. “What do you mean a few days?”</p><p>“I mean a few days,” he answered casually, grinning at her. “The road’s underwater right now, so you definitely won’t be able to cross it anytime soon.”</p><p>She huffed as Dean chuckled, rolling her eyes at him before turning her head to address Sam. “Is there any other way to Topeka? Maybe back the way we came?”</p><p>Sam shook his head, his eyes turning sympathetic. “I’m afraid not. They’re doing construction on the road between Lawrence and Topeka, so it’s closed for the next month. You’d have to go the long way around, which would take you a full extra day of driving. The washed out road’s the only direct way.”</p><p>“Great…” she muttered, throwing her hands in the air as she turned to Becca. “What are we going to do now?”</p><p>She shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to head back to Lawrence and find a place to stay for the night.”</p><p>“You can stay here,” Sam volunteered, making everyone look his way in shock.</p><p>“What?!” Y/N stammered, at the exact same time Becca cried out, “We’d love too!”</p><p>In this case, Dean was firmly on Y/N’s side. He stepped over to his brother and grabbed his arm, turning his back to the women and dropping his voice so only Sam could hear. “Dude, what’re you doing?”</p><p>Sam shrugged. “They need a place to stay.”</p><p>“Yeah, they can stay in town. Just because you’re hot for the brunette…”</p><p>“Hey,” Sam objected. “I am not! They just need a place to stay.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure, Romeo,” Dean said, stepping away with a resigned shake of his head. “Let’s just turn our house into a quaint little B’n’B.”</p><p>Sam ignored him and moved down the stairs. “You’re more than welcome to stay here. It’ll be nicer than any motel you’ll find in Lawrence.”</p><p>Becca beamed and nodded quickly. “That’d be great! You’re so sweet to offe…”</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Y/N interjected, pulling her friend back. She walked her back a few feet, away from Sam, and dropped her voice. Luckily, it wasn’t low enough that Dean couldn’t hear what she was saying.</p><p>“Becca, you can’t be serious!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“We’re not really staying here!”</p><p>“Why not? Sam said it’d be nicer than any motel.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure, that’s what they all say…How do you know they’re not murderers?”</p><p>Dean smiled at that, unable to resist messing with her. “For the record, we’re not murderers.”</p><p>She paused to glare at him before turning back to Becca. “That’s exactly what a murderer would say.”</p><p>“Okay,” Sam said, stepping forward to interrupt the girls. “I promise we’re not murderers.”</p><p>Dean’s grin widened. “Wait, a second, how do you know motel owners aren’t murderers?”</p><p>Y/N whipped her head around so fast, he nearly got whiplash. “Oh, shut up,” she muttered, but he just laughed and winked, making her roll her eyes for the upteenth time.</p><p>Sam reached his hand out, playing the role of peacemaker. “Y/N, please stay. It’s a five bedroom house, we’ve got plenty of room, and I promise it won’t be that bad.”</p><p>Becca shot Y/N her best begging eyes. “Please? It’s only for one night.”</p><p>Y/N looked back and forth between the three of them before groaning. “Fine, ONE night, but I swear if we get murdered, I’m so haunting all of you.”</p><p>–</p><p>One night somehow ended up turning into five.</p><p>Sam and Becca quickly bonded, with Becca making every excuse in the book to stay and play house with him. You’d tried to convince her to leave, given that the whole point of this trip to Toledo was to distract you, but you didn’t really have the heart to make a big fuss, especially seeing how happy she was around Sam, so you stayed.</p><p>But, it wasn’t quite what you expected from your vacation. With Becca being all starry-eyed over Sam, that left you spending an awful lot of time with Dean. Less than a week ago, you would’ve thought that was the worst thing in the world, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.</p><p>He was weirdly funny, insanely silly, and surprisingly…caring. The first night, you’d been determined to avoid him, thinking the stay was only temporary, but once Becca had run off with Sam, you hadn’t been left much of a choice. And, Dean, Dean was fun. You laughed when you were with him, whether that was grilling burgers in the backyard, helping him paint the porch while he dramatically pretended to fall off of it, or spending the evenings curled up by the fireplace with him, listening to the deepest tracks of Zeppelin.</p><p>You tried not to read too much into it, the way you felt around him, relaxed and carefree and just so completely unlike how you’d been feeling for the last few months with James. Maybe it was a good thing he’d dumped you. Maybe, just maybe, a guy like Dean was exactly what you…</p><p>“Y/N?”</p><p>You shook yourself out of your reverie, glancing up to see Dean staring back at you. He was bent under the hood of your car, his face streaked with oil, looking up at you like you’d lost your mind. “Uh, you ok? You kinda went to a whole different place there.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” you nodded, looking down at the floor and crossing your arms over your chest. “Just tired, I guess. How’s it coming along?” you asked, eager for a change of topic.</p><p>He regarded you for just a beat longer, uncertainty clouding his eyes, before he looked back at the car, choosing to move on like you wanted. “Um, pretty good, actually. I’m just about done.”</p><p>He straightened up, wiping his hands on his jeans, and grinned at you. “You know, you should’ve had your oil changed a long time ago. It was like a river of sludge in there. I’m surprised I didn’t drown.”</p><p>“Ha ha, you dork,” you laughed, playfully hitting him on the arm. “Besides, not all of us treat our cars better than people like you do.”</p><p>“Hey, Baby’s not just any car,” he corrected, feigning offense. “She’s a classic.”</p><p>“Mhmm,” you chuckled. “Whatever you say.”</p><p>You turned to walk away, but Dean ran to catch up with you, moving in front of you so he was walking backward. “Actually, I was just on my way to wash her. Want to help?”</p><p>You stopped walking and looked up into his eyes, thinking about it for a second. On one hand, you knew that the more time you spent with Dean, the harder it would be to leave, but, on the other hand, you couldn’t bring yourself to say no to him. “Sure, I’d love to.”</p><p>“Great,” he said, his whole face lighting up. He took your hand and pulled you along, and you couldn’t help the blush that sprinkled across your face. He led you around the house and straight into the back garage, where his black ‘67 Impala was waiting. “There she is!” he announced proudly, spreading his arms out wide. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”</p><p>“Yeah,” you admitted, running your hand across the hood. “She’s beautiful, Dean.”</p><p>He studied you for a second, a small smile gracing his face. When your eyes met with his, he frowned and looked away, busying himself with something near his shoe. “Oh, okay, then. Let’s get started.”</p><p>He turned to the shelves lining the far wall and grabbed a bucket and some sponges, moving to fill it with water from the nearby hose. Once it was full, he added some soap and handed one of the wet sponges to you. “You take the left, I’ll take the right?”</p><p>“Deal,” you agreed, walking over to the left side of the car. You started sliding the sponge back and forth and smiled over the hood of the car at Dean. “So, when did you get this car?”</p><p>“A while ago. It was my dad’s. He left it to me just before he died.”</p><p>Your face fell. “Oh, Dean, I’m so sorry.”</p><p>“It’s cool,” he said, continuing to stare at his sponge instead of making eye contact. “It was a long time ago.”</p><p>You watched as he moved his sponge slowly from side to side, lost in thought. You mirrored his actions for a minute, focusing on your side of the car before you stopped. With your attention on the sponge, you formulated a plan, grinning and looking back up at Dean. “Hey, Dean?”</p><p>“Yeah?” he asked, but, the second he looked up, a large splash of water hit him in the face, courtesy of the sponge you were still holding in your hand. “Oh, you didn’t…”</p><p>“I did,” you nodded, grinning widely as you watched him wipe the soap away from his face.</p><p>“Well, you know what that means?” he asked devilishly, raising his own sponge while you shook your head frantically and started backing away. “This is war!”</p><p>His last word was raised in an enthusiastic shout, and he took off running towards you, his sponge held out like a weapon. You squealed and spun away, racing out of the garage and back around to the front of the house, but he was faster, easily overtaking you and catching you around the waist, lifting you up into the air. You struggled, laughing as he moved the sponge all over your face and shoulders, soaking you. “Truce, truce!”</p><p>His hot breath hit your ear, his hold not lessening. “Promise?”</p><p>“I promise!” you laughed, exhaling as he placed you on the ground, spinning you around so that you were facing him, standing chest to chest. You were both soaked and breathing heavily, but that didn’t stop your heart from racing when you realized how close you were. “Dean…”</p><p>“Yeah?” he asked, brushing his knuckles down the side of your face, his hand stopping to linger on your neck, playing with the strands of hair that were resting there. You stared up into his eyes and momentarily forgot how to breathe.</p><p>“I want…” Your attention was drawn by movement beyond Dean’s shoulder and you raised onto your tiptoes, instantly recognizing the approaching car as it drew closer. “To kill him, oh my God!”</p><p>“Me, too…wait, what?” Dean blinked, totally lost, but you ignored him, pushing past him to look at the car.</p><p>“I can’t believe he’s here! How’d he find me?”</p><p>Dean turned, still trying to work out what was happening as he followed your gaze. “Who?”</p><p>You groaned. “My ex, James.” You looked back at Dean, an idea forming in your head. “Quick, you have to pretend to be my new boyfriend.”</p><p>He grinned at that, his eyes widening. “I have to what?”</p><p>“Hurry!” you rushed, grabbing his arm and pulling him with you up onto the porch. “He’ll be here any second.”</p><p>You and Dean stepped up onto the porch’s landing just as the car stopped, and you turned around, yanking Dean at the same time so he was anchored next to you.</p><p>“Ouch,” he joked.</p><p>“Stop it, he’s coming!”</p><p>He smiled and leaned down, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I thought I was a murderer.”</p><p>“Shut up,” you shushed him, your eyes falling to his hand. “Hold my hand, dammit, we gotta make this look convincing!”</p><p>He chuckled but grabbed your hand anyway. Pulling you in front of him, he transferred your hand to his other one, wrapping both of his arms around you so you were leaning against his chest. Good, he was really selling it, you thought, resisting the sudden urge to breathe him in. Damn intoxicating man scent.</p><p>James was nearly to you now, his expression turning into a glare when he saw who you were with. “Y/N, who’s this?”</p><p>“None of your business, James. How’d you find me?”</p><p>“I still have your find my phone linked,” he said, holding up his iPhone. “Seriously, who the hell is this?”</p><p>You frowned, finding the anger you had stored inside. Stepping away from Dean, you confronted him head on. “He’s my new boyfriend, not that it matters. You dumped me, James. I don’t owe you any explanation.”</p><p>He pasted a smile on, but you could see the insincerity behind it. Standing in front of a man like Dean, you wondered what you ever could have seen in a man like James. “Y/N, I still love you.”</p><p>“Tough,” you snapped. “We’re over. Now, leave and never contact me again.”</p><p>He stepped forward. “Y/N…”</p><p>“She told you to leave,” Dean said, moving in front of you, his whole demeanor hardening. He crossed his arms across his chest, and, although you couldn’t see his face, you knew his expression must have been more than a little terrifying, based on James’ reaction. You were glad he was on your side.</p><p>“I just want to talk to her.”</p><p>“Nuh uh,” he growled. “You’re done here. Like she said, she’s with me now.”</p><p>James looked at the two of you, suspicion growing. “That doesn’t sound like the Y/N I know, moving on with some creep in the middle of nowhere so fast. I doubt you two are really a thing. Y/N, please, just drop this whole charade and let me explain.”</p><p>Dean chuckled, looking back at you. “You hear that? He doesn’t think we’re really together.”</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t,” James said, resolutely. “I know Y/N.”</p><p>“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” you shouted before you grabbed Dean’s shirt and spun him around, pulling him in for a kiss.</p><p>He was surprised at first, you could tell, but he recovered quickly, his lips pushing back against yours with just as much fervor. He moved his hand down to your hip, drawing you closer to him with a growl, and you felt a shock of heat run straight through you. By the time he pulled back, you were breathless. Your hands were tangled in his hair, but you had absolutely no idea how they’d gotten there. Frankly, you didn’t care. All you wanted to do was kiss him again.</p><p>You completely forgot you had an audience until James cleared his throat. “Well, I guess you really are together. We’re sooo over.”</p><p>Not even taking your eyes off of Dean’s, you smiled, responding freely for the first time in a long time. “Fine by me! Bye, James.”</p><p>You heard him get back in his car, but it didn’t even faze you, your full attention on the grin spreading across Dean’s face. You laughed and tightened your grip in his hair. “So…” </p><p>“So,” he repeated, trailing his hand lazily up and down the side of your torso, “I guess this means I can’t murder you now, huh?”</p><p>You shook your head, laughing even harder. “Wow, you really are such a dork. I can’t believe…” But, he captured your lips before you could finish, kissing you long and slow, lingering like he never wanted to pull away.</p><p>“Oh my God, I knew it!”</p><p>You drew your head back, turning to find Becca and Sam standing in the doorway. Becca was smiling and practically jumping up and down, but Sam looked just as happy, taking in the two of you together. “I guess this means you’re staying around a little longer?”</p><p>You looked up at Dean, seeing the hopeful excitement in his face, and you nodded, intertwining your fingers with his. “Mhmm. I think I may have found what I was looking for.”</p><p>His eyes lit up. “Damn, I hope so,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss you again, audience be damned.</p>
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